School Leadership

Dr. Johnson came to Coram Deo Academy with extensive experience in higher education, ministry, and business. He most recently served at Dallas Baptist University as Dean of the College of Business and Vice President of Advancement. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade as Executive Pastor of Grace Community Church in East Texas, where he also oversaw operations for the church’s 1,000-student K–12 school. Earlier in his career, Dr. Johnson worked in business for twenty years, beginning with Price Waterhouse in Dallas in the early 1980s.

He holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University, an M.A. in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary, an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University, and a B.S. in Accounting from Bob Jones University.

Dr. Johnson and his wife, Lisa, have been married for over 40 years. They raised three children and now enjoy four grandchildren: Kelly, Patrick, and twins Elizabeth and Evelyn.

An avid reader and lifelong learner, Dr. Johnson especially enjoys fiction, history, and the classics. Recent books include The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis and Lafayette by Harlow Giles Unger. He also enjoys cycling—mostly on a trainer at home—as well as time with his grandkids, naps when possible, and being with Lisa, his closest friend and greatest encouragement.

He has a playful appreciation for snacks of all kinds, especially Reese’s, Peanut M&Ms, cake, ice cream, and chips with salsa. The Johnsons also have one dog, Lexi, a miniature schnauzer.

Spiritually, Dr. Johnson has been deeply influenced by the writings of Timothy Keller and, above all, the Apostle Paul. He especially treasures Romans 8:1: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Keith Castello has worked in Christian education for 30 years and has been part of the classical Christian school movement for 26 years. Keith and his wife, Alicia, will celebrate 30 years of marriage in August. Their two boys, Aiden and Tim, are 19 and 16 years of age respectively. 

 

Keith grew up in a Christian home, a preacher’s kid, and came to faith early. He and his family attend Church at the Cross in Grapevine, Texas. They have been active there for more than 20 years. Currently, Keith teaches the PROs class to older adults, participates in mission trips, life group, and Alpha evangelism. 

 

Keith has been a student for most of his life. He has a bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of North Texas, a Master of Humanities degree from the University of Dallas, and is completing his dissertation for a Ph.D. in educational organizational leadership from Liberty University. Additionally, Keith studied theology at Dallas Theological Seminary and Christian school leadership at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  

 

Keith enjoys writing and playing music, especially with his sons. He plays guitar and sings. Keith enjoys listening to music with his wife. They also enjoy travel and art, especially impressionism. Keith reads a wide variety of books and enjoys writing. He is particularly interested in the integration of Christian theology with classical learning, western philosophy, entrepreneurialism, servant leadership, and Constitutional history and law.

 

Keith stays active through weight and circuit training, mountain biking, and coaching. He loves team sports and is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan.

Scott Head has a long history of financial management and accounting.  After beginning his career in public accounting where he performed both audit and tax work, Scott transitioned to corporate accounting where he spent most of his time with high-growth private equity backed companies.  He has had a steady progression of roles such as Controller, VP-Finance and CFO.  He also managed the financial team for a publicly traded company division.  Scott has experience in growing organizations both organically and through acquisition.  He is passionate about managing teams, developing and executing strategic plans, and building efficiencies through process improvement and technology. 

 

After growing up in south Texas, Scott attended Texas A&M University where he received his BBA in Accounting and was a proud member of the Corp of Cadets and Ross Volunteer Company.  He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) licensed in the state of Texas. 

 

Scott and his wife, Kelly, have been married over 25 years and have three awesome children, Lauren, Sarah, and Luke.  His family worships and serves at Preston Trail Community Church in Frisco, TX. 

Jeremiah was born and raised in a small Michigan town. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Medical Technology and received a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has served in faithful stints as the Lead Pastor at Bethel Church in South Dakota, the Co-Lead Pastor at Grace Bible Church in Nacogdoches, Texas, and as the Pastor of Operations at Irving Bible Church here in North Texas. Having been in full-time ministry for almost 20 years, Jeremiah has developed a passion for seeing God’s resources used to advance the gospel.

 

Jeremiah's wife, Amanda, teaches in Logic School at CDA’s Flower Mound campus. They have two daughters, Sedah and Anne, who are in Logic and Grammer Schools there. The Betrons choose CDA as their school because of the collaborative approach to education, as well as its commitment to biblical, Christian truth.

 

An avid outdoorsman and Camp Gladiator certified personal trainer and coach, Jeremiah keeps himself physically active. Since March 2022, he has completed nine half and full Ironman triathlons, as well as several shorter distance races and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. When he’s not swimming, biking, running, or strength training, he’s reading Sci-Fi books and putting together puzzles. But most importantly, Jeremiah loves spending time with his family and embarking on great adventures all around the globe.

 

Suzette Crowhurst serves as the Director of Systems & Information.  Her position oversees the administration of CDA’s major systems while providing data analysis to support the organization’s needs.

Suzette’s passion is to support others and to provide excellent customer service to CDA’s internal (employees) and external (parents and students) customers.

The Crowhurst family joined Coram Deo Academy at the Collin County campus in 2004, the first year that the CC campus was open. Suzette became an employee in 2006. Prior to CDA, Suzette worked in Logistics and Systems at an oil and gas company in the corporate office for 10 years. Suzette holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Logistics from Penn State University at University Park.

Suzette and her husband, Jason, have two daughters who graduated from CDA in 2016 and 2018. They enjoy home improvement projects, traveling, worshiping and serving at RockPointe Church, and spending time with their two adult children, their son-in-law, and their grandchildren.

Carrie brings with her a wealth of experience, a passion for serving others, and a deep commitment to our shared values. As Director of Human Resources, Carrie plays a vital role in ensuring our school remains a place where every individual feels valued and respected. 
 
A seasoned leader, Carrie came to Coram Deo Academy with more than 25 years' experience in human resources leadership, with 17 of those years being in the industrial/manufacturing industry. The rest of her career was spent in education & learning, ecommerce, and construction.
The last few years she spent leading a recruiting business helping people and companies find the perfect job or candidate.

Carrie grew up in Richardson, TX, but finished her high school years in Orchard Park, NY. After graduation, she moved back to Texas and attended Dallas Baptist University, where she played volleyball and studied criminal justice and psychology. After graduating, she studied to become a paralegal at SMU. 

As a young adult, Carrie played multiple competitive sports, although soccer was her passion for many years. She is currently an avid CrossFitter. 

Carrie and her husband, Rex, have two wonderful children. Their son Trevor lives with his family in Greenville, TX (including the first granddaughter), and their daughter Abby studies marketing at Oklahoma State University. 

 
Carrie and her husband attend Chase Oaks Church in Plano, where they have actively served for 23 years.

After graduating, Michelle spent several years at NBC Network News as a field producer covering the OJ Simpson trial for the Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Today Show, and Dateline. She also helped produce Today Show entertainment segments in Los Angeles interviewing celebrities. After moving to Texas, Michelle’s passion turned to marketing and events … applying many of those public relations, psychology, and communications classes, but also self-learning what drives herself and others to make decisions to buy products or attend events.

 

Collaborating with teams at businesses, schools, and churches in various roles, her decades of experience include fundraising & development, marketing strategy, social media content, writing, graphic design, emceeing, and webinar hosting. She has served as a certified EC-6 teacher, built the creative sides of websites, developed an online school, revamped one school's admissions process, and taught fifth grade.

 

Michelle joined Coram Deo Academy in August 2020 and has served in donor relations, development, marketing, and community engagement. She's been highly involved on the annual gala committee and loves working with PTF and athletics on campus golf tournaments or gathering all campuses together for the Business Leaders Luncheon.

 

A California native and pilot’s daughter who spent a handful of her childhood years overseas in Saudi Arabia, Michelle has now  lived in North Texas for more than two decades with her husband, former Major Leaguer Mike Simms. They love traveling, discovering new restaurants, and are dipping their toe into the world of pickleball. Mike and Michelle are active members at their church through small group and bible study and have two daughters, Sabrina (Oklahoma class of 2022, who married Ben in 2025) and Gabrielle (CDA Class of 2021, Texas Tech Class of 2026).

Robin Scott is a graduate of Texas Christian University with a B.B.A. in Marketing. While at TCU, she was very involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Upon graduation, Robin worked for Xerox for several years but during this tenure she realized her passion was working with kids, which is what she always thought she would do! After serving for several years as a special education teacher in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD and Plano ISD, she decided to return to school. Robin graduated with her M.Ed. In Educational Administration from Texas Women’s University in 2001. 

 

After graduating, Robin joined Frisco ISD where she served as an assistant principal for four years and for the next 17, as a principal; she opened Stafford Middle School in 2008 as the head principal. 

 

Stephanie Garland has been a parent at CDA since 2003, a teacher since 2007, and an administrator since 2013.  After her eldest daughter had a particularly difficult year in public school, God directed her and her husband to Coram Deo Academy through, of all things, a nationally syndicated radio program.  They enrolled their children at CDA and have never looked back!

 

Before teaching at CDA, Stephanie was a stay-at-home mom for thirteen years, which followed five years of teaching English and French in public high school.  She attended the University of North Texas, where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees in Secondary Education.

 

Stephanie lives in Carrollton with her husband Greg. They have three married daughters and two grandchildren (with more on the way)!

Nathan Hudler graduated with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Education from Sam Houston State University where He was involved as a small group leader and met his wife, Angela. After two years teaching Geometry in the public school system, Nathan decided to attend Dallas Theological Seminary, and graduated with a Master of Theology with a focus in Christian Education in 2013.  

While finishing his degree, Nathan joined the Coram Deo faculty in the fall of 2012. The following school year, Mr. Hudler became a full-time faculty member, and has taught a variety of classes over the years in the Science and Theology departments. After serving as Collin County campus Dean of Students for several years, Nathan moved into his current role as the Logic Principal in 2022 while continuing to serve as our Head of House and House of Newton advisor.

Nathan and Angela have 3 children, Owen, Dylan, and Logan, who all attend CDA. The family enjoys playing all kinds of board games, especially Settlers of Catan. 

Mr. Stults graduated from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature and Language. He was very involved in the College Ministry at Indiana Ave Baptist Church in Lubbock as well as Campus Crusade for Christ. After graduation, Mr. Stults was accepted to George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University to pursue an advanced degree to continue serving in College Ministry. During this time Mr. Stults joined the Strickland Scholars program at Baylor University and began working toward a Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction which he completed in May 2001. In the following years Mr. Stults taught Junior and Senior English, served as an assistant Golf Coach, and joined the Coram Deo Academy team in 2008.

Mr. Stults has been involved in Education for 25 years, 18 of which have been with Coram Deo Academy. Mr. Stults has taught various levels and courses over his years with CDA and also coached various levels of basketball at the school over the years. Mr. Stults currently teaches AP United States History.

Mr. Stults is married to Amanda, and they will celebrated their 18th anniversary this year. They have two children, Piper (15) and Drake (11), both of whom will attend Coram Deo Academy. The Stults family attends Denton Bible Church where Mr. Stults is involved in Discipleship.

Jon has worked with Coram Deo since 2010. Before serving as the Dallas Campus Headmaster, he served as Dean of Students at the Flower Mound campus. He teaches a variety of Logic and Rhetoric level History and Theology courses.

 

Jon earned an M.A. in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a Certificate in Anglican Studies from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. He also holds a B.A. in History and Education from the University of Texas at Dallas.

 

After discerning whether to enter pastoral or academic ministry,

 

Jon has found Coram Deo to be a perfect combination of his callings towards both academic and pastoral ministry. In addition to serving as a place to train the minds and hearts of the next generation of Christian leaders, CDA also provides a place to build relationships that will last a lifetime and beyond.

 

Jon and his wife Vivien have three children, Zoë, Rowan, and Billie. They worship together at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas (Anglican/Episcopal). He was ordained a Priest in August 2019, and continues to serve part-time on the clergy team at Incarnation.

You can find his sermons and written works on his website: http://jonjordan.com.

Michele Howard joined Coram Deo Academy as a parent in 2005 at the Collin County Campus when her oldest son started Kindergarten. Because of their love for the biblical worldview in the CDA model, the Howard family helped start the Dallas campus in 2006. Michele then joined the Dallas staff in 2009 as the 3^rd grade teacher when her youngest son started Kindergarten.  In her 10^th year she became the Admissions Coordinator in Dallas while continuing to teach.  Michele is now the Grammar School Principal.  With her background as a former parent, lead teacher, and admissions coordinator, her passion for classical education allows her to collaborate with teachers and parents under CDA’s model.  Michele considers it a joy to shepherd young hearts for Christ and to help foster a love of learning at an early age in truth, beauty, and goodness.

 

Michele has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Business Education from Baylor University. She is also a lifetime certified teacher in the state of Texas.  Before staying home with her children, Michele was a corporate trainer and manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Gordon College in Leadership for Classical Christian Schools.

 

Michele has been married to her husband, Rick, since 1996 and have three sons who all attended CDA in Dallas.  They have been actively involved at Watermark Community Church since 1999 and have a passion for mission work and young married couples. 

Jennifer Southerland serves as the Logic School Principal at the Dallas campus.  She taught for 9 years and served as the Director of Grammar and Logic Curriculum before joining the Dallas campus. She considers her service at Coram Deo Academy her ministry as she combines her passion for serving CDA families with her love of classical education. She is currently working on her master’s degree with a concentration in classical education leadership.

Paula (Polly) Dwyer is a Texan, born and raised. She attended the University of Oklahoma on a French Horn scholarship but fell in love with the art of teaching and changed her major. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master’s degree in School Administration. She began her teaching career in Noble and Moore Oklahoma. She taught college undergraduates “Models of Instruction” for the University of Oklahoma and supervised student teachers for several years before moving home to Texas to teach science at Highland Park. She obtained a second master’s in Life/Earth Science at the University of Texas, Dallas.

In 2003, she began teaching math, science, and history at Coram Deo Academy. The Dwyers chose to bring their three young children to CDA as it offered outstanding education with excellent teachers while including parents in the educational process. They believe in the parents’ responsibility to raise their children. In doing so, their children are equipped to manage the world’s challenges by filtering the information through the biblical worldview.

In 2005, Paula was promoted to be Logic School Principal. She was named the Flower Mound Campus Administrator and Logic/Rhetoric Principal in 2007. In 2016, Paula was named as the Distinguished Administrator of the Year for the Texas Private School Music Educators Association. She currently serves as the Rhetoric School Principal and Headmaster for the Flower Mound campus.

Paula is married to Paul and has three children, all who have graduated from CDA. Paula and her family attend Denton Bible church. She is a member of the choir. She loves athletics, the arts, history, and science. If you see her in car line, wave! She loves to greet the families of CDA.

Yvette Cavender began her partnership with CDA as a parent in 2004, when her children were in grammar school.  Soon after, she began teaching second grade, and is now the Grammar School Principal at the Flower Mound campus.  She has seen the benefits of classical education play out in the lives of her own children and considers it a privilege to collaborate with others in teaching and training students under CDA’s model. 

 

Mrs. Cavender holds Bachelor’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Political Science and Economics.  She is a certified teacher in the state of Texas.

 

Kristan Williams has been with Coram Deo Academy on the Flower Mound Campus since August 2011. She began teaching 5^th grade and moved into teaching mathematics to 5^th, 6^th and 7^th graders before taking on her current position. Kristan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and is a lifetime certified teacher. Before coming to CDA, Kristan helped start a University Model School in the Woodlands, TX.

As the Logic School Principal, she hopes to rally around the Logic School children and become a mentor to them and their families.